Filing cabinet drawer



Nov. 30, 1943. e. w. CUSHING' FILING CABINET DRAWER Filed March 13, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 30,1943. G. w. CUSHING 2,335,391

FILING CABINET DRAWER I Filed March 13, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwua/wboz EEURG'E WC'L/SH/NE Patented Nov. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILING CABINET DRAWER Application March 13, 1942, Serial No. 434,551

7 Claims.

This invention relates to filing cabinets, and more particularly to the handles and label holders of the drawers of filing cabinets and other types of storage apparatus.

A standard equipment of a cabinet file drawer comprises a drawer head made of wood or metal having a metal handle and a separate label card holder. This arrangement of handles and labels on the fronts of an assembly of a large number of cabinets is usually unsightly, and a projecting handle may at times be accidentally struck and injure the user of the cabinet or itself be bent or broken by the blow. It is desirable to have a handle which may be built into the drawer head or so constructed as not to project outwardly and form an obstruction, and which will be both strong and serviceable. Moreover, the label in a standard arrangement lies substantially flat against the drawer head and so cannot be readily Viewed when located close to the floor. The label card should be easily viewed from any normal position of use. Furthermore,

' the handle and label holder should harmonize in appearance with the surface of the drawer head and be fairly inconspicuous so that the cabinet will present a pleasing design. The war priorities require that the use of metal in filing cabinets be limited materially, and it is desirable to provide a construction which can be readily manufactured of available materials that are One object of this invention is to satisfy such requirements and to provide a file cabinet drawer with a handle and a label card holder which may be economically manufactured and easily assembled and which are so constructed that they may be made of materials other than metal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a handle and a label holder unit which may be separately manufactured and readily assembled on a file cabinet drawer.

A further object is to provide a drawer head with a label holder which permits the label to be viewed readily when located in all customary positions and particularly below the level of the eye.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drawer head with a label holder and a hand hold which are so constructed and arranged that the hand hold and label may lie substantially behind the exterior surface plane of the head or may be flush therewith and so do not provide obstructions that interfere with the use of the apparatus.

A further objectis to provide for assembly on various types of drawer heads a label holder and handle unit having a hand hold for moving or lifting the drawer and having integrally associated therewith a label holder which holds its label securely in a protected position.

A further object is to provide a file drawer of this general type wherein provision is made for inserting a label readily. Further objects will be apparent in the following disclosure.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate several embodiments of the invention:

Fig. l is a perspective View of a file cabinet drawer, partly broken away, having affixed to the head a handle and label holder unit providing a hand hold below the label holder;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the drawer head construction of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a file cabinet drawer, partly broken away, having a different form of handle and label holder unit in which the hand hold is above the label holder;

Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of the drawer head construction of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the construction of Fig. 3 which is hinged to the drawer head at the top;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the holder raised;

Fig. 7 is a similar View of the holder mounted on a metal drawer head;

Fig. 8 shows a modification having the hinge at the bottom; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 4 in which the label is inserted from below.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the filing cabinet comprises a drawer head H) suitably affixed to the sides H and bottom of the drawer. The head may be made of any suitable material, such as a moldable plastic resinoid or moldable wood powder preparation or a wooden board or of metal or other available material, but it is preferably made of wood or a molded body which may be readily shaped to provide a recess and other desired constructional features. The handle and label holder unit, which may be made of metal but is preferably fashioned of a moldable plastic, such as resinoid or a moldable plastic wood preparation, comprises a label holder frame l2 having a central rectangular opening l3 through which the label may be viewed. The front of the drawer head is cut away or molded to provide a recess so arranged that th label card frame may be located within the recess and lie behind the plane of the front face of the drawer head. The top and bottom horizontal members [5 and I6 of the frame are joined by th tapering end walls I! and the latter project rearwardly to form the vertical flanges I8 which are spaced from one another by a distance somewhat greater than the horizontal length of the opening it. The rear surface 28 of the recessed Portion of the drawer head slopes as illustrated in Fig. 2. Also, the drawer head is shaped to provide the sloping open ended slot 2| between the Vertical flanges l8 and the rear of th frame so that a label card may be inserted through the open slot into position behind the frame. This slot 2| extends behind the upwardly projecting flange 22 of the lower horizontal part I6 of the holder and the slot is wider than the frame opening so that the card may lie behind the label holder frame on all four sides of the opening l3 and thus be fully held in position.

This construction makes it easy to place a card in position and to withdraw it. A card may have its insignia suitably impressed thereon and then be pushed down through the open slot 2| until its lower edge falls behind the flange 22 of the holder. The card is preferably made long enough to project upwardly from the slot, and

when it has been forced into place, the upper I portion of the card is torn or cut off so as to leave the card concealed behind the label holder unit. For removal of the card, it is merely necessary to push upwardly on the card through the opening I3 until its upper portion can be grasped and then it is readily withdrawn from the slot.

The wall of the recess in the drawer head and the rear faces of the walls of the frame may slope rearwardly and upwardly at any desired angle relative to a vertical plane, such as that illustrated in Fig. 2, so that the rectangular card display opening in the frame faces upwardly at an angle and may be more readily viewed when located near the floor. The recess in the drawer head may be out as deep as desired and the walls of the frame may be shaped to slope the card at any reasonable angle. Screws 24 may be inserted through suitable openings in the back of the drawer head and into engagement with the vertical flange portions I8 so as to hold the unit securely in position.

An important feature of this construction lies in the fact that the unit is used not only for holding the label card but also to provide a hand hold. To this end, the drawer head is shaped to provide a further recess 25, which may be separate from or a continuation of the recess within which the unit is mounted. This recess 25 is below and at the rear of the bottom portion it of the unit. This recess 25 may have a sloping, curved or suitably shaped rear wall and it provides a deep space beneath and behind the long horizontal lip 26 which is a continuation of the cross member 16 of the unit, so that one may readily insert his fingers into the opening and into engagement with the rear surface of the lip. Thus, this elongated lip of the frame member l6 serves as a hand hold, and the user of the cabinet file may readily grasp the unit and pull the drawer open or lift it from the cabinet. The unit may have two side flanges 21 which overlap slightly the front surface of the drawer head adjacent to the recess and thus conceal the edges of the recess and provide a more pleasing appearance. It will beappreciated that the hand hold is located substantially within the drawer head H1 or close to the front plane of the drawer head and that there is no handle which projects materially beyond that front plane.

In the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the positions of the handle and label holder are reversed. The handle and label holder unit, which may be made of metal or preferably a molded plastic material, has a frame 30 which is cut away to provide the rectangular opening 3| therein for exposing a label card to View. Two tapered side walls 32 are secured to the frame. Connecting the upper parts of these side wal s is a horizontal wide cross member 33 located in front of and somewhat above the upper portion of the frame. A lower narrow cross member 34 connects the bottom portions of the side walls. The parts thus form a V-shaped unit which opens at the front and has the card display frame at the rear. The front lip 35 of the top cross member 33 projects downwardly and it is widely spaced from the frame at the rear and ample room is provided for inserting the fingers of ones hand into the space beneath and at the rear of the downwardly curving lip; hence the rear smooth curved surface of the latter may serve adequately as a hand hold for moving or lifting the drawer.

The drawer head may be made of two plates 3E and 3'! of metal or preferably wood or a plastic body. The front plate 36 is thick and may be cut entirely through to form a rectangular opening and. to hold the frame unit, and it is further shaped to provide a sloping wall 38 which lies at the rear of the label card frame. That wall may be spaced from the unit by a distance sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the card. Either the front or the back plate 36 or 31 of the drawer head is cut out to provide the slot 39 which serves for the insertion of a label card into position at the rear of the label holder frame and where the insignia of the card will be exposed in the opening 32. The slot 39 is wider than the frame opening 32 so that the card may project behind the sides of the frame and particularly behind the lower transverse member 34 thereof and thus be held firmly in position. The wall plate 31 is suitably secured to the front plate 35 and thus conceals the rear of the card. Screws 40 may be employed to secure the side Walls 36 of the unit removably to the adjacent recess walls of the front plate 35. The top and bottom members 33 and 34 and the side walls 30 may be flanged to provide parts that project over and conceal the edges of the opening through the front wall 36 so as to provide a neat appearance,

'In this construction, the label holder may be arranged at any desired angle to a vertical plane, depending on the shape of the tapered side walls; but the requirement of adequate room fora hand hold insures that the label card will slope upwardly and rearwardly at a considerable angle and thus may be easily seen even when located close to the floor. Since the label cardiswell below any normal position for the hand, there is little likelihood of the label card being touched and disarranged or soiled during a normal use. The hand hold formed by the downwardly projecting lip is out of the way and yet is readily accessible and convenient for use; There are, no projecting parts to injure the user of the cabinet or to become broken by being struck accidentally. The whole construction is simpl e its arrangement and economicalto manufacture'and easily assembled. By having the label mounted adjaoffice furniture.

cent'to the rear wall of the hand hold recess, I make use of that recess for protecting the label, and the recess is so shaped as to give ample room for the fingers and yet have the label located at such an angle that it may be very easily viewed from above. Many other advantages will be readily apparent in this construction.

The drawer head and the label holder and handle unit may be made of plastic material and molded as desired and preferably of separate pieces that are easily fashioned and secured together. A suitable material for the production of the unit is a molded resinoid of the general type of the Bakelite phenol-formaldehyde condensation product which has been suitably shaped and heat treated to convert the resinoid material into its final infusible and insoluble condition. Various other well known plastics may be utilized in this construction, and these plastics are particularly useful since they lend themselves to the production of the peculiar shapes which these label holder and handle units have been given. Similarly, I may employ the various types of plastic wood preparations which comprise wood powder mixed with suitable heat hardenable or convertible cementitious materials that may be molded to a suitable shape and thereafter heated or otherwise treated to convert the substance to a hard and strong condition. The various plastics also lend themselves to providing pleasing color combinations so that the file cabinet may fit harmoniously in its setting and match the other Hence this construction possesses ornamental as well as utilitarian features.

It will now be appreciated that this type of label holding unit may be mounted in various ways and on different types of drawer heads. In the constructions above described, the label card is inserted through a slot in the upper edge of the drawer head. As shown in Figs. and 6, the unit 42 may be movably mounted, as by means of a hinge, so that it may be swung out of its normal position to permit insertion of the label card. The unit 42, which may be made similar to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, may be suitably secured to a strap hinge 43, as by means of rivets 44, and

the hinge is in turn secured to the drawer head 45 by means of a screw 45 or other suitable device. The hinge may comprise the usual construction having two brass or steel plates connected by a pivot pin, and it is arranged to permit the unit 42 to swing from the closed position of Fig. 5 to the open position of Fig. 6. The back wall 41 of the recess formed in the drawer head 45 is shaped, as illustrated, to provide a sloping surface on which the label card may lie behind the label holder frame 48 of the pivoted unit. The label holder unit 42 is held in a closed position by suitable means, such as a spring clip comprising an L-shaped metal member having a projecting S-shaped latch 58 which permits the lower nose portion 52 of the unit to spring the clip downwardly and then be frictionally engaged and held against accidental removal from its closed position of Fig. 5.

It will be observed that the hand hold 53 is close to the pivot point so that any force employed to move the drawer will be absorbed largely by the spring so that a comparatively weak latch spring 50 may be employed to hold the unit in a closed position. The upper edge of the arm 54 of the spring latch, which is secured by a screw to the drawer head, projects slightly above the card holding surface 41 so as to form a shoulder against which the card may rest prior to the label holding unit being locked in a closed position.

I have shown in Fig. 7 how this same type of unit may be mounted on a steel drawer head. The head may be made, for example, of the shaped metal parts 60, GI and 62 suitably welded together to form a hollow and reinforced body. The wall 64 is also welded in place to form a sloping surface corresponding with the surface 41 of Figs. 5 and 6. The hinge 65 may be suitably spot welded to the inwardly turned end of the front wall member 60, and it may be secured, as by means of rivets, to the label holder and hand hold unit 66. The latch 61 may be similar to that above described and also spot welded in place on the front of the drawer head. Various other constructional features may be employed to insure easy assembly of the parts. For example, the hinge pin 68 of the hinge may be removably positioned in these constructions, so that the two parts of the hinge may be assembled after the unit has been put in place on the drawer head.

In the construction of Fig. 8, I have shown the same label holder unit of Figs. 3 and 4 mounted on a hinge located at its bottom. Thehinge Hi is suitably secured to the unit 12 and the drawer head 13 by means of rivets, screws and the like and the pin of the hinge may be made removable for quick assembly of the parts. Since the hand hold 14 is now far removed from the hinge, it is desirable in this construction to have a strong catch to hold the parts in place. As shown, I may employ the spring pressed locking member 15 having its lower end V-shaped to provide a sloping wall at its front to permit the unit to be readily moved to its closed position. The latch has a rear vertical wall engaging a vertical shoulder in a slot Tl formed in the top hand hold wall of the unit. A spring 18 located in a recess 19 in the drawer head 13 engages at its bottom the top of the latch member IS-and at its top a shoulder formed in the drawer head. A pin 81 is threaded into the latch 15 and is surrounded by the spring, and its enlarged head 82 engages the bottom surface of a recess in the top of the drawer head so as to hold the parts in position and yet permit operative movement of the latch. 'In order to swing the unit outwardly and permit insertion of a label card on a sloping wall 84, it is merely necessary to push upwardly with a suitable implement against the bottom of the latch 15 and release the locking wall H from contact therewith.

The construction of Fig. 9 involves a label holder unit of the type shown in Figs. 3 and 4 which is immovably secured within the recess in the drawer head. In this construction, the label card is inserted upwardly through a, slot located at the back of the unit 84 and in front of the sloping wall 85 of the drawer head 86. The lower cross frame members 81 of the label holder are centrally cut away to provide an entrance slot 88, and it is desirable to serrate or roughen the rear wall of this lower horizontal member 81 so as to aid further in holding a label card in place. The card is shoved upwardly through that slot past the lower horizontal member 81 and at the rear of the side walls of the frame and preferably past the upper horizontal cross member of the frame and into the vertical slot 9! thereabove. In this way the card is bent at both its top and its bottom, so that the frictional forces involved will secure the card properly in place. In order to remove the card, it is merely necessary to push down on it with ones hands or a sharp implenient or to forcibly remove the card through the opening in the label holder.

It Will now be appreciated that many other modifications may be made in this general construction within the scope of my invention and that various parts may be made integral with the drawer head or otherwise arranged and assembled. Hence, the above description is to be interpreted as illustrating the principles of this invention and my preferred embodiments thereof and not as limitations on the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A filing cabinet comprising a drawer head having a front recess provided with a surface which slopes upwardly and rearwardly and a unit'mounted in the recess having a frame arrangedjadjacent to said surface which provides a card display opening that slopes upwardly and rearwardly, and a horizontal lip which is located above and in front of the frame and spaced therefrom to provide a hand hold, means for member connecting the end walls which terminates in a horizontal lip located adjacent to the top of the recess and in front of and widely spaced from the upper portion of the frame so that it may serve as a hand hold, said frame being visible from in front of and above the drawer and the hand hold lying close to the front plane of the drawer.

3. A filing cabinet drawer head having a front 'recess,and a card holding unit mounted within the recess which has an upwardly and rear- 4 wardly sloping frame providing a card display opening located behind the front vertical plane of the head and a horizontal lip integral with the frame located in front of and widely spaced from the upper portion of the frame and close to "said plane, said head and frame being shaped to form a card space in the rear of the frame and an open slot leading upwardly to said space item below the unit and including means whereb'ya'card"inserted through the slot is held in 'place adjacent to said card display opening.

4. A filing cabinet drawer comprising a drawer head having an open recess whose'rear Cil wall slopes upwardly and 'rearwardly and forms a card supporting surface behind the front plane of the head, and which provides finger space behind a hand hold, and a unit mounted on the head having a card displaying frame located in said recess adjacent to said wall and forming therewith 'a pocket within which a card may be supported on said wall, and a horizontal hand hold lip on the unit located close to said plane and in front of said finger space.

5. A filing cabinet drawer comprising a drawer head having a recess providing an upwardly and rearwardly sloping wall behind the front plane of the head and a unit mounted in the recess having a frame located close to said wall and forming therewith a pocket and a card display opening, said head having a slot opening from the exterior into said pocket so that a card may be inserted therethrough into position behind the frame and adjacent to said sloping wall, and an elongated horizontal lip formed as a continuation of a part of the unit which projects over said recess and serves as a hand hold.

6. A filing cabinet drawer comprising a drawer head having an open recess therein providing an upwardly and rearwardly sloping wall, a unit mounted in the recess which has a frame located adjacent to said wall to form a pocket therebetween and a card display opening arranged at an angle to and in the rear of the vertical plane of the front of the drawer head and a horizontal member which projects over an open space and serves as a hand hold, means for securing the frame within the recess of the drawer head,

said'frame and head being shaped to form an open slot for the insertion of a card into said pocket at the rear of the frame, and means whereby a card is normally held therein.

'7. A filing cabinet drawer comprising a drawer head having a front recess and a card supporting surface in said recess in combination with a unit having a frame providing a card display opening normally located in said recess close to and holding a card against said surface, and a substantially horizontal elongated lip projecting downwardly over a portion of the space in said recess which is arranged to form a hand hold, said frame and lip being integral parts of the unit, means for movably mounting the unit on the drawer head which provides for movement of the frame to and from a card holding and a releasing position relative to said surface, and a manually releasable locking device having interlocking parts on said head and unit which secure the unit in a card holding position.

GEORGE W. CUSHING. 

